emo Wats INK SLINGS. —Summer is more than half gone. Do you realize it? —-Certainly it has been fine weath- er for hay-making and harvest. —With circuses and carnivals Belle- fonte is having something of a surfeit this season. ] —The question we’d like most to have answered is: Will the Athletics come back or keep on going back? —=Shelby, Montana, is another place that has discovered that printer’s ink is about the only thing that can put something on the map to stay. —The next time Bellefonte indulges in community sports Mr. C. D. C. will find the broad spit a much safer con- test to enter than a potato race. —That four inch snowfall in Massa- chusetts might have been a safe enough celebration of the Fourth, but certainly it was not a very sane one. -—Flour is at the lowest price it has reached in years and still the Ford- ney-McCumber act that was passed by Congress to fool the farmers keeps fooling them. —-Senator Max Leslie’s hopes for political re-establishment in Alle- gheny county seem utterly blasted by the reported love feast at which the Flinn, Magee and Oliver forces sat in harmony. —Time was when no mechanic dar- ed to think himself a brick-layer un- less he could lay at least a thousand a day. Today no one who lays more than six hundred is regarded as a real brick-layer. —There is only one explanation of the miracle that has been wrought at Wernersville where a landlord has advertised for ténants with large fam- ilies. He is going to run for office, that’s what he’s after. —And now it appears that the maiden trip of the Leviathan was so wet that only one dry passenger was aboard the ship. But then our officials are so busy watching foreign boats that they haven’t time to watch those ! flying our own flag. —Mr. Bryan denies that he is for McAdoo for President. He expects to be a delegate from Florida to the next National convention and, of course, couldn’t be expected to com- mit himself until the last chance of the lightning striking W. J. B. has gone. —Wouldn’t the Fourth of July, 1923, have been outstanding as a Na- tional holiday if Gibbons had only been able to put over a punch that would have sent Dempsey into the ob- scurity he tried so hard to find when real American boys were volunteer- ing to fight for their country. —Thousands of bushels of-cherries are rotting on the trees of Centre county for want of some one to pick them. They are selling on the streets at from ten to fifteen cents per quart and as this price represents the cost of picking them it goes to show how much labor has contributed to the rise in commodities. —We are of the opinion that Joe Guffey should not be re-elected Na- tional committeeman from Pennsyl- vania, but it is foolish for the Hon. Eugene C. Bonniwell to think that he can succeed. Judge Bonniwell might make a very satisfactory representa- tive for our party in the National committee, but he has gone too often to the well with his pitcher. —The Edward Bok prize of one hundred thousand dollars for a plan that will bring about peace to the world is being looked upon rather * lightly by every one but Mr. Bok, himself. There is no telling, however, what it might draw out. All of the brains of America are not in legisla- tive positions and those that are not are unclouded by partisanship and fearless of constituencies. —Among those being seriously con- sidered as prospective Democratic candidates for President are former Governor Cox, of Ohio; Governor Al. Smith, of New York; Senator Oscar W. Underwood, of Alabama; John W. Davis, of West Virginia, former Am- bassador. to Great Britain; Henry Ford, of Michigan, and Wm. G. Mec- Adoo, former Secretary of the Treas- ury. Nowhere have we heard a sound that would indicate that any- body has thought of A. Mitchell Pal- mer as a potential candidate. —Whether the information is cor- rect we know not, but we have heard that Bill Brown is to be the Republi- can nominee for sheriff. The leaders are said to have wakened up to find Bill too slick for them and rather than have it appear that they have lost prestige have decided to throw no ob- stacles in the path of his pleasant and profitable round of the public offices of the county. Our informant told us that Bill thinks that by the time he gets out of the sherifi’s office he will be just ripe for prothonotary and then expects to spend his declining years in the treasurer’s office. —Oh, what a wallop! Just when we have about recovered from the ef- fects of that infected pencil pusher and have done sufficint penance to sat- isfy our conscience that all is squared for the crime of cutting bean poles on Sunday, for which the affliction was sent on us, along comes old Bill Gib- son, of Crafton, shootin’ right in our face as follows: “I read of your af- fliction in Ink Slings. You only think you are suffering retribution for past sins. If you really were the wonder is that you are living at all.” Now, what do you think of that? Almost, STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. VOL. 68. BELLEFONTE, PA., JULY 13. Pinchot’s Ambition Satisfied. Governor Pinchot has relinquished all his ambition to be President for the present at least. Some months ago, when the future purposes of Mr. Harding were involved in doubt, there was a good deal of talk of our Gover- nor for the succession. The Anti-Sa- loon League and other ultra prohibi- tionists were particularly active in propagating the idea, and the Gover- nor made no attempt to chcek them. But the political atmosphere has since cleared. President Harding is an ac- tive candidate and with the thousands of office holders behind him there isn’t even a look-in for any other aspirant. Because of this fact Governor Pinchot has become resentful of any sugges- tion that he might entertain the am- bition. Some days ago, according to an ex- tremely servile Republican contem- porary, some of the Governor’s Pike county neighbors intimated that cer- tain action might exercise an influ- ence on his political future. The Governor replied with some asperity that “he is not now and would not be a candidate for any other office, and that he wanted that fact clearly un- derstood.” That was certainly fine but not all. Our servile contemporary adds: he has an important piece of work to do on Capitol Hill and that all of his energy and ability and thought are being devoted to that particular job.” No doubt that settled the matter once and for all with his Pike county neigh- bors. But it sets the rest of us to think- ing. The Governor must have had some purpose in mind other than the important work on Capitol Hill in Harrisburg when he planned out and forced through the General Assembly a measure which makes him master of all the governing agencies of the State. Men with the single purpose of serving the public weal rarely build up a personal machine so firmly entrenched as to be practically invin- cible, and at a sacrifice of reputation and integrity. If Governor Pinchot has no ambitions beyond the faithful administration of his present office why did he form alliances with the Vare machine; the Penrose contingent and the Grundy outfit to accomplish these results? : ——If scopolamin will compel per- sons to tell the truth a few doses ju- diciously administered to Republican politicians might result in some in- teresting recent history of Pennsyl- vania. Mr. Bok’s Princely Offer. Mr. Edward Bok, formerly editor of the Ladies’ Home Journal, offers a prize of $100,000 for a plan of world co-operation for permanent peace. Half of this munificent sum is to be paid for the plan upon approval by a committee of distinguished citizens and the other half on the acceptance of the plan by the United States Sen- ate. It is a great as well as an in- teresting proposition and perfectly safe. The United States Senate will never agree to any plan which could possibly bring about the result, and the offer gets “the first page” for a considerable time and over a wide area without expense. President Hard- ing’s pet, Mr. Lasker, could hardly do better in the matter of publicity. There will likely be a good many con- testants for this princely prize and the ideas will take various forms. Mr. DeMar, the very capable cartoonist of the Philadelphia Record, has already brought forward an admirable one. He depicts the League of Nations with the door ajar and a hanging sign: “Don’t knock—Walk in.” Uncle Sam stands in front of the sign, plainly perplexed but “almost persuaded.” It is a great thought expressed in sim- ple figures. If Mr. Bok, and thous- ands of others like him who sincerely desire peace, had voted for the purpos- es they cherish now, three years ago, the result would be so far advancd by this time that there would be no necessity for such offers as he makes. Other plans might be suggested and hundreds of them will be, but we doubt if any will hit the mark as sure- ly as that of Mr. DeMar. might be as effective but less attract- ive. For example, if Senator Lodge were literally killed, Senator Moses extradited, Senator LaFollette’s tongue torn out by the roots and Sen- ator Johnson, of California, and Sen- ator Reed, of Missouri, expelled from the Senate there might be a chance of agreeing upon a plan that would make the United States an influential member of the League of Nations and thus guarantee to the world a power- ful agency sincerely striving for “Peace on earth, good will among men.’ But we own this plan is not feasible. ——If American tourists spend a billion and a half in Europe this year, as it is estimated they will, it won’t take them long to supply the money we are on the point of admitting that | to pay what Europe owes this coun- we are discovered. try. “He made it plain, also, that Another | | Harding’s Faith in Public Credulity. It would be hard to imagine a more transparent farce, in the consideration of a serious subject, than that ex- pressed in the correspondence between President Harding and Judge Gary, head of the Iron and Steel Institute, concerning the twelve hour day for employees in the iron and steel indus- try. Some months ago the Iron and Steel Institute, after mature delib- eration, declared that a day of less length than twelve hours would be de- structive of the iron and steel indus- try. Shortly afterward the manager of the Colorado Iron and Steel compa- ny issued a statement to the effect that an eight hour day had been in operation in that plant for some time and proved profitable as well as help- ful and satisfactory. The steel workers were greatly dis- turbed because of this reactionary la- bor policy. For nearly five years they, in common with other wage earners of the country, had been striving to shorten the hours of labor and such progress had been achieved that an eight hour day had almost become the rule. Reversion to the twelve hour | day seemed to them like a return to human slavery and they raised the voice of protest from the Atlantic to the Pacific. But President Harding took no notice of the action until he began planning his campaign for re- election and preparing his speeches i for his “round the circle” trip. On , the 18th of June he wrote to Judge Gary suggesting that the twelve hour day policy be revoked “when there is a surplus of labor available.” Of course Judge Gary and his as- sociates in the Iron and Steel Insti- tute promptly responded with assur- ances that they will comply with the sugestion when “there is a surplus of labor available.” That must afford ! great encouragement to the puddlers, ‘rollers and other employees of the ‘Steel trust who are working their lives out in twelve hour shifts. But it gives ‘a hope that may be long de- ferred. Members of the Iron and Steel Institute will determine when “there is a surplus of labor available” and it is safe to predict that they will fix the date long after that conjectur- the moon.” But. President. Ha has much faith in the credulity of the people. ——Travel on the highways will liquor” is made a capital offense. Economies that are Doubtful. The old time adage, “figures can’t lie,”. may be admitted, but it is equally true that figures may be juggled so as to deceive even careful students of af- fairs. In a speech delivered at Salt Lake City, while on his way to Alaska, President Harding made the boast that his administration had, by wise economies, saved the country a billion dollars. He probably reached this conclusion by adding together an es- timated deficit of some eight hundred millions and a paper surplus at the end of the fiscal year of two hundred million dollars. The first was a bad guess and it looks as if the other is a hopeful conjecture. The disbursements during 1923 amounted to $3,697,478,020 as against $3,795,000,000, in 1922, a difference of $97,521,980. That is a considerable sum of money and if actual is quite worth while, But some very reliable statisticians declare that it required considerable juggling of figures to show that balance. For example, it is alleged that some payments have been held over for settlement during the fiscal year of 1923 and that if they had been made as they ought to have been there would have been a deficit instead of a surplus on the 30th of June. If that be true the value of the guess made by the Secretary of the Treasury in advance of the event is correspondingly strengthened. There ought to have been a consid- erable saving during the fiscal year just ended as compared with the dis- bursements of the previous year. The appropriations by Congress for the support of the army and navy were in the neighborhood of two hundred millions less for 1923 than for 1922, and that difference ought to show up. It was accomplished, not by economies in the service or greater wisdom or integrity in management, but by re- ducing those branches of the govern- ment to a peace basis, thus saving in the pay rolls the difference between a war and peace army and navy. Dur- ing the last year of the Wilson admin- istration more than two billion dollars were saved in the same way and no boast made of it. ——That Frenchman who expects “to see us all flying in a few years” is too optimistic. The price of the machine forbids. A ———— Qf ——————————— There is no danger of the Dem- ocrats being without a candidate for President next year. The entrants are multiplying. al period “when the cow jumps over . | | Politics in Mine Troubles. The refusal of the representatives of the anthracite coal miners, in -con- ference with agents of the operators at Atlantic City, to join in an agree- ment to continue operations after ex- piration of the existing contract, may have been a wise precaution, though it certainly disappoints the coal consum- ing public. After the experience of last winter the prospect or even the probability of a strike this year is like a horrible nightmare. But under such an agreement the mine owners might prolong the conference and de- lay an agreement indefinitely and the miners would have no redress. The existing agreement runs until the first of September and between now and then the problems ought to be solved. The demands of the miners as a ba- sis for future operation of the mines are various. They insist on the elimi- |, nation of the twelve-hour day, an in- crease of wages, alterations in the working conditions at the mines and a limit of thirty days for a decision of questions submitted to the um- pire. The operators profess a willing- ness to give up the twelve-hour day at some future time and agree to the thirty day limit for decision by the umpire. But they may hold out in- definitely on the wage question, for there is some reason in their state- ment that the present wage rate is “adequate to meet present conditions,” according to the coal commissioners’ report. This statement brought out a dis- turbing question and gave the pro- ceedings political slant. It was charged that the report of the coal commission was written by Attorney General Daugherty “so as to make it accord with the labor policy of the Harding administration.” This state- ment was attributed to George H. Cushing, publisher of a bulletin circu- lated in the coal trade, and the mine workers demanded an investigation of the matter. The vehement opposition to this demand would indicate that the operators have something to fear from such an inquiry. Just what in- fluenced them is left to conjecture but it looks as if the administration is overworking the labor question. jt. “wen his position as general man- ager of the Chicago, Aurora and El- gin Railroad company J. Harvey Me- Clure, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Mec- Clure of Bellefonte, is meeting with never be entirely safe until “driving such success that he was recently an automobile under the influence of highly commended by the board of di- rectors for having successfully effect- ed a two year contract with the em- ployees of that railroad. Ir his deal- ings with the men he has shown such a spirit of fairness and consideration for them that he has won their confi- dence and esteem to that extent that they are willing to co-operate to the best of their ability. As evidence that the company is not only improving . the service but keping its equipment | i up to a high standard, under the man- agement of Mr. McClure, is the fact that only recently they placed an or- der for twenty new Pullman cars at a cost of approximately $600,000. ——Last Saturday morning in glancing out of the window in the “Watchman” office, the writer observ- ed a big California trout, fully two feet in length, floating down stream with another trout in its mouth that must have been easily twelve to four- teen inches long. The big “cannibal” floated down to the lower side of High street bridge where he anchored in a pool, evidently with the intention of devouring his catch at leisure. Quite a crowd gathered and watched the trout for probably a quarter of an hour, then some ont threw a stone into the creek and the big trout loosened its hold just long enough for the oth- er trout to flop out of its jaws and swim away, but the scales had been completely peeled off of the smaller one where the big fellow had it in its jaws. ——Senator Vare visited the Gov- ernor in Harrisburg, the other day, and according to the newspaper cor- respondents left in a gloomy mood. The Governor has harvested his crop. ——1It is said that somebody has stolen the former Kaiser’s saber. Sad, of course, but it may be said the for- mer Kaiser is not likely to need it soon. ——Mrs. Rebecca C. Tuten, of Phil- ipsburg, has entered the political are- na as a candidate for the nomination for Recorder on the Republican ticket. —————————Aer——— ——France has finally ratified the Washington conference treaty but has not agreed to all the conditions. Thus we are making progress. ——— A ————— ——President Harding is a gifted phrase maker but he is making a wide chasm between his tongue and his conscience. A ——— A ———————— ~——Only fifteen more days of trout fishing, but bass are now in season. 1923. certain NO. 27. Blocs and Parties. From the Philadelphia Record. It has been observed by Political philosophers that only in England and the dominions under English tra- ditions and in the United States are there two parties whose struggles con- stitute political life. In other coun- tries there are half a dozen small par- ties or groups, whose representatives in the national legislature may combing into what is known as a bloc, but the next day the bloc may disintegrate and another bloc succeed it, composed of some of the groups that were in- cluded in the first bloc and several that were excluded. The political phil- osophers usually prefer the Anglo- American party system to the bloc with which statesmen have to get along in nearly all other parliamenta- ry countries. ; Of course if politics existed for the peace and comfort of Prime Ministers or Presidents the party system would ave very great advantages. A Presi- dent or a Premier would know defi- nitely whether he was leading the ma- jority or minority. He would be in office with a safe majority behind him, or he would be out of office with no responsibilities, merely playing for position and hoping for better luck next deal of the ballot-box. But the reason that there are rarely more than two parties in England, the British dominions and the United States is that Englishmen and Ameri- cans are severely practical; they are not struggling for causes, but for po- litical power. Hence a third party has precious little attractions for them. A few enthusiastic Socialists, or Single Taxers, or, in former years, Prohibi- tionists, may be willing to stand up and be counted, without 2 ghost of a chance of securing control of the gov- ernment. But the overwhelming ma- ority of voters want to win, or to ave a chance to win, and they join one of the two parties which occupy the greater part of the field. They may not get the political action that they want, but they would be quite not to get it if they flocked b themselves and formed a group, whic in the legislative body would join oth- er groups and give one statesman a majority today and another statesman a majority tomorrow. ; But if politics be the expression of the political wishes of the electorate, it is not at all certain that the party system is as good as the bloc system. The members of the bloc unite to se. Br ean pect 2etion, which is AL irom being . they desire, but is esteemed by coat hey desire, portant thing at the moment. They succeed, and then the bloc disinte- grates and some of the groups of which it consists unite with certain outside groups to attain another ob- Ject. There may be two blocs but each exists for the purpose of attain- Ing a specific object. When that is at- tained, another bloc is formed for another purpose. Under the party system each party seeks to maintain the permanent or- ganization of a political entity or a church. You are supposed to be a member of that party for life,'and you generally are. The President and Mrs, Harding have expressed their strong hostility to people who vote with one party or another for the purpose of attaining this or that specific object. And yet nothing could be more ra- tional than such action. According to the President, every man should be a Republican or a Democrat, just as he should be a Catholic or a Methodist or a Presbyterian. The party exists for its own sake. Its members are ex- pected to be loyal to it, no matter what it does. The topic that is up- permost in people’s minds at the pres- ent time is likely to be ignored by both the large parties next year, because each party is intent only on keeping or getting control of the government; it is not struggling to put a certain political program into effect. EE ———— A ——— “Too Much Government.” From the Chicago News. Summing up the impressions gained by recént travel through many States in the Union, one of the correspondents of the Daily News asserted in his dis- patch to this newspaper the other day that a deep and significant issue was emerging in American politics—name- ly the issue between too much bureau- cracy and too much avoidable inter- ference and meddling by government on the one hand, and, on the other hand, a vigorous reassrtion of Amer- ican ideas of liberty, healthy individ- ualism and private initiative. It is high time a powerful nation- wide reaction was developed against the tendency to multiply restrictions, set up new regulatory agencies, in- crease costs of government and heap up loose and uncertain statutes pro- ductive of litigation and confusion. Signs of such a wholesome reaction are discernible even among the wage workers, who are often misrepresent- ed by political radicals, and among the self-reliant farmers, equally misrep- resented by self-constituted leaders of a supposed agrarian movement in fa- vor of flat money and governmental fixing of agricultural prices. Of late, certain officers of the rail- road brotherhoods have repudiated the demand for railroad nationalization made by sundry radical groups in the name of organized labor. There are more staunch adherents to the sound old American gospel of the civil and in- dustrial liberty than the bureaucrats think, and they are at last beginning to protest against wanton, injurious attacks upon the spirit and essence of American institutions. ———————————— —Subscribe for the “Watchman.” SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. —Declared legally dead and his estate distributed among his heirs about twenty years ago, Uriah Eichelberger, 82 years old, returned to Bethlehem, Pa., on Sunday, from where he disappeared yars ago. He will be sent to an old soldiers’ home. —Several thousand dollars’ worth of stolen silk from the Sunbury converting works was recovered by chief of police Quinn and Captain Keller of the Penn- sylvania railroad police at Sunbury, when the homes of two suspects in that place were searched. —William A. Rossiter, well known resi- dent of Bucks county, owner of four farms and a model dairy of 100 pure-bred cattle, and who was private secretary to the late Charlemagne Tower, of Philadelphia, has been missing since June 29th, and no trace of his whereabouts can be found. —Andrew Getskey, miner, of Beaver Meadow, who fell asleep while sitting on a railroad track watching that his cow would not be hit by a passenger train al- most due, slept so soundly that he had to be kicked off the right of way by the engi- neer of the locomotive, who brought his train to a stop a few feet from the man. —TFifteen children were made fatherless in two accidents on the Fourth of July at Bovard, a mining town in Westmoreland county. Harry B. Tait, the father of eight children, was killed when struck by an automobile on the New Alexandria high- way. A few hours later Bert Morgan, who leaves seven children, fell from a tree and died from a fractured skull. —Negotiations for the purchase of the $4,000,000 plant of the Worthington Pump and Machinery company, at Hazleton, for the manufacture of a British automobile have fallen through, it was anounced last week, as makers of the car and local bankers could not agree on the financing of the project. The Worthington works have been idle since the end of the world war. —Alfred Wagstaff, of New York city, 14 year old nephew of Colonel Henry W. Shoemaker, of McElhattan, was severely injured, when one of the three large Wy- oming wolves in the Shoemaker park at- tacked him knocking him down and biting him in the back and on the arm. Jesse Phillips, caretaker, beat off the animal The wolves were shot by order of Colonel Shoemaker. —Miss Margaret McKibben, of Pitts- burgh, and Miss Melva Howes, of Fayette City, students at the summer session of Slipery Rock Normal school, were drown- ed on Sunday afternoon when they step- ped into a deep hole while wading in a stream at Mineral Springs, near Slippery Rock. Efforts to rescue the girls proved futile, no one in the party of which they were members being able to swim. The bodies were recovered. —Miss Keturah Walker, aged 24 years, daughter of John F. Walker, of Milton, was drowned in the Susquehanna river on Saturday evening near the Muncy dam. With two other Milton girls, members of a camping party, she was rowing a boat, which became lodged on a rock. While at- tempting to release it the girls capsized the beat and Miss Walker sank. Her com- panions clung to.the overturned craft un- til it drifted into shallow water. i —While Attorney W. D. Lewis, repra« senting the United Charities and Attorney Frank X. York, representing Peter Don- chek of Lansford, Schuylkill county, charg- ed with assaulting his adopted daughter and assault and battery upon his wife, were arranging for the release of his bondsmen in order to keep him in jail, Donchek committed suicide in his cell. Ie tied his belt around his neck, attached one end to a nail and leaped from the radia- tor, breaking his neck. The dead man left a note denouncing his wife and giving all his belongings to his brother John, stating it was his last letter to him. —A drink-crazed negro was shot and killed and three police officials were shot in a battle at Mount Union, Huntingdon county, on Sunday night. Chief of Police McConahay was shot through the body. He died on Tuseday. Patrolman Mil- ler, the only other member of the borough police force, was shot through the neck. His condition is serious. Sergeant C. I. Cutshall, of the Pennsylvania Railroad po- lice, was shot in the arm. All are at the Blair Memorial hospital at Huntingdon. The battle occurred when the officers at- tempted to arrest the negro, who had threatened to ‘‘shoot up” the town. —The fire which for several years past has been consuming the coal lands owned by Peale, Peacock and Kerr, near Hawk Run, Clearfield county, is nearing its fin- ish. Last winter a force of men with steam shovels was put to work to reach the source of trouble and their work has been so well done the company announces it expects the fire soon to be completely extinguished. The fire has been in prog- ress for years and thousands of tons of coal burned. At times the ground in the viscinity was so hot pedestrians could not walk on it. The company owns many acres in that section and when the fire is out the work of mining will go ahead. —After forcing an entrance into the home of Mrs. Emma Shagine, of Pitts- burgh, early Saturday morning, Rocco N. Ali, aged 29 years, went to her room and beat and bit her severely when she refus- ed to desert her three children and elope with him. In a battle which lasted twenty minutes, Mrs. Shagine was thrown over the bed and several chairs and severely injur- ed. Growing weak from the blows and bit- ing, Mrs. Shangine tore herself from Ali's grasp, dashed from the house and noti- fied the police. The police later arrested Ali, who admitted that he was infatuated with Mrs. Shagine, but denied that he had abused her. He was held for a hearing. On one side the flesh was torn from the woman's body in small pieces. —Going to Philadelphia to take charge of the body of his brother who leaped to death from the fifth floor of the Ritz- Carlton hotel on Friday, Peter G. Mauga- kos, of Barnesboro, Pa., was robbed of $200 as he slept in a Central hotel early Saturday morning. James George Mauga- kos, who owned a restaurant in that city, leaped from the hotel window after he had barricaded himself in a room and fired several shots through the door at a bell- boy and the assistant manager. His brother was notified that he was injured . in the fall, and did not learn of his death until he reached that city. He was taken to the morgue, where he identified the body. He then went to a hotel, and when he awoke Saturday morning discovered he had been robbed of $200 hidden under his pillow. Notifying the coroner of the fact that he had been robbed that official loan- ed the Barnesboro man $100 from the $000 cash found in his brother's pockets.